IRS Commissioner: Yeah, we staged that Lerner apology

posted at 12:41 pm on May 17, 2013 by Ed Morrissey

As the New York Times’ Jonathan Weisman said 90 minutes into the hearing, this was one of the few really interesting revelations at today’s grilling of IRS Commissioner Steve Miller. Remember the impromptu, extemporaneous apology given by Lois Lerner a week ago at a law conference for the targeting of conservative groups, an apology that at the same time tried to minimize the scope of the violations? Yeah, that was no accident:

In other words, the IRS knew full well what the IG report would say about targeting conservative groups looking for tax-exempt status, and wanted to shape the media battlefield ahead of time. Just how did they know that? The IG could have shared that data with them, perhaps to check for accuracy; that could be part of the process. However, even if leadership only learned of these issues during some kind of check, Lerner’s apology was incredibly dishonest considering the scope of the findings in the IG report, and now we have confirmation that it was planned in advance — and set up to look extemporaneous, to boot.

What does that say about IRS leadership’s honesty and credibility?

That’s not to say that there weren’t lighter moments. Miller’s big concern? Customer service (via Twitchy and the Washington Examiner):

Acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller took issue with the use of the word “targeting” as it relates to the IRS’s singling out of Tea Party and other conservative groups, calling it a “loaded term.”

In an exchange with Republican representative Kevin Brady, Miller said, “I’m going to take exception to the concept of targeting, because it’s a loaded term,” and one that “describes something that didn’t exist here.”

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In an exchange with Republican representative Kevin Brady, Miller said, “I’m going to take exception to the concept of targeting, because it’s a loaded term,” and one that “describes something that didn’t exist here.”

“Targeting, Congressman Brady, is what right wing whackos like Sarah Palin does, with pictures of targets and all, and we didn’t use any pictures.”

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I grew up hearing stories from my grandparents about the communist Russia that they escaped as German Russians, but today’s hearings brought tears to my eyes. I can’t believe this is my country and the country my grandparents were so proud to become citizens of and my father fought for in WWII. Please, someone tell me we can be saved.

Even though it’s risible in the context, I’d give the IRS Commish a break on “horrible customer service.” Given the nature of all large organizations — with their mission statements and accompanying objectives to service “customers” and other stakeholders — that’s much how IRS leadership undoubtedly sees it.

But sadly, it just shows how out of touch managers in large organizations can be.

It’s mealy-mouthed bureaucrats like this that make me wish I was serving on this committee. It would give me perverse pleasure to reduce this guy to tears with the worst dressing-down he’s ever gotten.

Having dealt with the IRS about back taxes, I can affirm that it does indeed have horrible customer services. You will never get the same answer from different phone reps about the same question. You often get contradictory answers, in fact. But each time they’ll insist the current answer is Gospel truth.

I remember I had a payment agreement setup that I was running late on. “Submit payment by X date or the agreement will be canceled,” they said. Now, it costs over $100 to set one of those things up (don’t ask me why) so I really didn’t want to have to do it again. So I went online and submitted my payment before X date. However, it didn’t post to their system until after X date. They said the agreement was canceled.

“No,” I said, “As you can see I submitted the payment on time. There shouldn’t be a new agreement.”

“The system canceled your agreement, so you need a new one,” they replied.

“But I paid on time. I paid before the deadline. I shouldn’t have to do this.”

And on and on it went for weeks. Finally, they re-instituted the original agreement. But, my God… I almost feel bad for the people working there. It’s like critical thought has been beaten out of them. That or the IRS simply hires people who don’t think.

“Fundamentally change America”…we’re going to have to take apart this government one Fascist/Socialist/Commie at at time.
It will take years to overcome the effect Dear Leader has had on our country and its media.

Well the IRS just ought to update their phone system to do the following:

If you are a member of a conservative group, Press 1.

If you are a associated with a Jewish group, Press 2.

If you plan to protest Planned Parenthood, Press 3.

If you plan to oppose Green Energy, Press 4.

If you plan to protest Obamacare, Press 5.

And the recording upon pressing those options simply ought to state, you are now being transferred to Homeland Security. I mean the IRS leaders talk about poor customer service and the reason they targeted conservative groups was to be more efficient. I mean, lets provide some solutions here and cut out the middle man. /

A customer is someone who voluntarily comes to you for a mutual exchange of good or valuable consideration. The IRS seizes property at the point of a gun. I’m not your damn customer, pal, and I want you to be a federal prisoner.

You want to know how deeply the IRS lies? They send people to prison who figure out that filing tax returns are completely voluntary according to Treasury Department regulations and the IRS Manual. In fact, the IRS does more than lie. They ruin honest peoples’ lives. THAT’s what they do. The good news: if you know how to fight ‘em, they back off. Trust me.

Customer service? A customer is a person who buys something of value from a seller. What has the IRS ever sold to us for our taxes? If the IRS wasn’t a government agency with the power to collect taxes, no one would buy anything from the IRS!!!

This is not “horrible customer service”. This is coercive use of government power for political purposes.

The concept that citizens are the “customers” of the IRS is strange. The IRS is not a business with customers.

Is there any business in the private sector that could jail you and seize your private property for not using their services and giving them money?

visions on May 17, 2013 at 1:19 PM

This is the Orwellian Newspeak of the Obama Administration. Like taxpayer subsidies to the Solyndras and Fisker Karmas of the world are “investments” in clean, green energy. With a rate of return of negative 100%.

If we the “customers” of the IRS are the coerced “investors” in Solyndra et al. and Obama’s wonderful windmills and choo-choo trains, WE DEMAND OUR DIVIDENDS!!! NOW!!!

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I grew up hearing stories from my grandparents about the communist Russia that they escaped as German Russians, but today’s hearings brought tears to my eyes. I can’t believe this is my country and the country my grandparents were so proud to become citizens of and my father fought for in WWII. Please, someone tell me we can be saved.

What we have now discovered about Barack Obama and Eric Holder’s America, if we didn’t already know it, is that any belief in a benign and decent government in this country is absolute horseshit. Liberalism has been revealed as a fascist joke.

I’ve been a government employee before. This is a failure of management. Rank-and-file IRS agents know exactly what they’re supposed to do and not supposed to do. They would not have done this without directives, I don’t care what the numbers say about party affiliation. This rot goes deep.

The Treasury Department’s inspector general told senior Treasury officials in June 2012 he was investigating allegations that the Internal Revenue Service had targeted conservative groups, disclosing for the first time on Friday that Obama administration officials were aware of the matter during the presidential campaign year.